In Warrick's Memory
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: Following Warrick's death, the CSI team tries to piece together what happened that fateful night and tries to find Warrick's killer. However, following the evidence has never been so difficult...and in the end, they must either succeed or fail.
1. Chapter 1

In Warrick's Memory

Chapter 1

Gilbert Grissom left the diner with a smile on his face. It had been a long time since he had truly smiled and felt the warmth of happiness spread through his body…since Sara Sidle. At the memory of Sara, Grissom stopped. He stared at his car. Yes, it had been a long time since he was happy.

Suddenly, Grissom heard two pops…like fireworks. _Gunshots!_ Grissom realized with a sickening feeling. Grissom wasn't sure what made him run towards them, but he did. Perhaps it was because of this nagging feeling in his stomach that told him something was wrong. Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Greg. Those four names whirled through his mind. What are the chances that on the day four CSI's eat breakfast at a diner that gunshots go off? Grissom didn't believe in coincidences.

Running towards the sound, which now echoed faintly, Grissom saw a solitary car in a dark alley. It was Warrick's car. _Dear Lord! Please! Please! _Grissom found himself begging. He was a man of science, but he didn't need science now. He needed God.

Approaching the driver's side, Grissom felt like vomiting. Warrick was sitting there, blood pooling from his neck and chest. "Help!" Grissom yelled. "Officer down! Help! Anyone!"

Without another thought, Grissom pulled Warrick out of the car and on to the asphalt. He stared at Warrick for a moment. Blood was coming out at a seemingly unnatural rate. Grissom began to put pressure on the neck wound, but blood continued to seep out through his fingers. "Warrick! Stay with me, okay?" Grissom said in a panicked voice. "Warrick, please! Dear God! Please!"

Perhaps Warrick heard him. Or perhaps it was just chance. Either way, Warrick opened his eyes for a moment. He saw the terrified look on Grissom's face and he knew. It was over. He knew he was dying and there was nothing Grissom could do. Warrick wanted to comfort Grissom and tell him everything was okay. But he couldn't find the strength…

Then Warrick's thoughts jumped to Undersheriff Jeffrey McKeen. He opened his mouth. "Don't talk!" Grissom advised as Warrick began to cough on blood. "Shh…It's okay. Help is coming. It's okay."

Warrick motioned Grissom closer. Hesitating a bit, Grissom knew Warrick was entrusting him with his last words. But Grissom didn't want to hear Warrick's last words…ever. He wanted Warrick to live. However, he obliged.

Warrick let out a strangled sound, which Grissom assumed was a word. He didn't understand it, but he didn't have the heart to tell the dying man. "I know. Shh…it's okay." Grissom said softly.

Beginning to close his eyes, Warrick felt the pain drain from his body. He was suddenly cold. It was the end and Warrick knew it was foolish to think any other way. He closed his eyes and thought of Holly Gribbs; of his close friend and best competition, Nick; of the young, silly, but brilliant Greg; of the person he could always confide in, Catherine; of the CSI that left, Sara and of course, Warrick thought of his boss, Grissom. These memories would be his last thoughts.

Grissom saw Warrick's eyes closing. "Don't!" Grissom begged. "Stay awake. Warrick, you have to!"

His chest stopped moving. Warrick looked at peace, but Grissom refused to believe he was dead. He let tears fall freely from his face. Grissom, in such a state, didn't even notice that an ambulance had pulled up until paramedics pushed him out of the way. He wondered who called 911…until he looked behind him.

There, Catherine, Greg and Nick stood. They were watching Warrick with tears in their eyes. They looked horrified. Catherine was freely sobbing. Only minutes before, they had been laughing and joking…and now? Now Warrick was dying…

The paramedics tried to revive Warrick in order to stabilize him before taking him to the hospital. But they did not appear to be successful. After fifteen minutes, the paramedics exchanged glances. There was nothing they could do. "Call it," One whispered to the other.

Glancing at a watch, the other whispered a time back. Catherine fell to her knees and was hysterical, something that Grissom had never seen before. She had been near hysteria when her daughter was kidnapped, but her strangled cries were something Grissom never thought he would hear from her. Greg, who was always lively, looked subdued and extremely sick. Nick looked in shock. He moved to get near Warrick. "Don't." Grissom said, finally snapping out of his trance. "We need to preserve the crime scene."

Nick looked ready to kill Grissom. "Preserve the crime scene?" Nick asked in an angry tone. "That's our friend! We can't leave him lying there!"

Warrick's blood, once warm on Grissom's hands, grew colder and colder. "Nick, please, I don't want to leave him there either, but we have to." Grissom said in a tired voice.

Seconds later, police cruisers from all surrounding areas, swarmed the area. Jim Brass walked over to the shocked group of CSI's. He barely looked at Warrick. "What happened?" Brass asked gently.

"We were having breakfast." Greg said softly.

"I heard shots and I found him in the car." Grissom said shortly. "I…I couldn't do anything."

Brass looked Grissom over. He was covered in blood…Warrick's blood. "Okay, here's what's going to happen." Brass said a calm tone. "Grissom, you're going to give your clothes to a dayshift CSI. Greg, Nick and Catherine, you'll be going down to police headquarters to be questioned."

Surprised at himself, Brass couldn't believe how efficiently he gave out directions. Perhaps it was because he hadn't quite come to terms with the fact that Warrick was dead. He had only seen the CSI hours previously. "We'll catch the guy that did this." Brass said.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Here you go." An Internal Affairs investigator said gently, handing Catherine a cup of coffee.

Sitting in an interrogation room was the last place Catherine wanted to be. She didn't want to drink the damn coffee, so she just placed it in front of her. The IA investigator sat in front of her. "Can you tell me what happened?" He asked, as if he were her friend.

"I've been a CSI for a very long time." Catherine said in a shaky voice. "And now I know how a victim feels when we ask them questions. I haven't even had time to process the damn thing and you want to know what happened?"

It was clear that Catherine was angry, upset and in denial. She still couldn't understand that Warrick was dead. In her mind, she knew he was dead. In her heart, she couldn't believe he was dead. "Ms. Willows, I know this must be difficult…" The man began.

"And that line pisses me off!" Catherine said heatedly. "There are lines that we're trained to tell people in…in…in grief and I don't want to hear them! They have no meaning. You don't know how difficult it is. You're not sorry."

Greg suddenly burst into the room. "You have no reason to be interviewing Ms. Willows." Greg said firmly.

The IA investigator looked surprised at Greg's unannounced entrance. "You can't burst in like that!" The man shouted.

"She gave you her initial statement a while ago." Greg said coldly. "When did it become standard operating procedure to interview witnesses multiple times within a few hours? You think Catherine is the weakest link and you're trying to manipulate her in her time of grief. I'm telling you that Grissom, Nick, Catherine and I have nothing to do with Warrick's death! Please, just give us some time to…to understand what's happened."

The IA investigator could not think of a comeback. He didn't try to stop Greg as he led Catherine out of the room. In the break room, Catherine collapsed into the sofa. She dissolved into tears again. "You…should be a lawyer…" Catherine said in between tissues.

Giving her a soft smile, Greg looked over at Nick and Grissom. Catherine didn't even seem to notice they were there. Grissom was wearing a new shirt and pants. The blood was gone. "What did you do?" Grissom asked quietly.

"IA was going pretty hard on Catherine." Greg muttered. "They're out for blood…ours."

Nick closed his eyes. "Damn it! They blamed Warrick for something he didn't even do and now he's dead and they suspect us?" Nick asked in an outraged tone. "How screwed up is that?"

"They don't suspect us." Grissom said shortly.

"What?" Nick asked.

Grissom sighed. "They're just trying to be thorough." Grissom said.

The four of them were quiet. They needed time to think and this was the first time they had silence. It was still hard to believe that Warrick was dead. The four of them were in shock. "How are you holding up?" Conrad Ecklie asked out of genuine concern.

No one responded to him. "Do you have anything?" Nick asked hopefully.

Ecklie looked at the four faces in front of him. Their eyes spoke of tragedy, hardship, shock and denial. Their eyes also told stories of wanting justice…and revenge. "I'm not a liberty to discuss the case." Ecklie muttered, looking down at the floor.

"Please, spare us that crap." Greg said in an irritated tone.

Greg's tone was perhaps even more shocking that Warrick's death. Everyone was used to Greg's happy and lively tone…but even that had become darker lately…after he killed a man in self-defense. But to stand up to Ecklie like that? Nick thought Greg's grief was clouding his judgment, but admired the younger CSI for his bravery and for speaking what everyone had on their mind. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I am truly sorry." Ecklie said honestly. "Warrick had problems, but he was a great CSI…and he was a good person. He was a good friend to all of you and he was lucky to have you."

"We were lucky to have him." Catherine said quietly.

* * *

Jim Brass stood in front of a multitude of police officers. They looked at him, seeking commands. Quite honestly, Brass thought they looked like a flock of lost sheep. "Is it true? Warrick Brown is dead?" A young police officer questioned.

"Yes," Brass said softly. "He died early this morning."

"Damn!" The young man said in reply. "I knew him."

"We all did." Someone else said from the distance.

Brass nodded. "Warrick Brown is our only case." Brass said firmly. "Understood?"

The police officers nodded in response. Most of them knew Warrick, as they knew most of the CSI's. He was one of them. And when one of their own was murdered…the murderer had reason to worry…

* * *

Sitting in his office, Grissom found solace for the first time. He needed silence to think about what happened. Everything in the past three hours was completely surreal. He felt like he was looking in on someone else's life…not his own. He didn't even hear the knock at the door.

Sara Sidle was standing in front of him. "I caught the first flight out." Sara whispered as she hugged him.

"He's gone." Grissom whispered back in pain.

Stroking his face gently, Sara looked at him sadly. "I know." Sara said softly. "I know."

"We were talking about things that happened before at the diner, you know?" Grissom asked in a shaky voice. He was not ashamed to show weakness to Sara.

Sara nodded, willing to listen. "Well, we left to get some sleep and then…I heard a gunshot and I…I got there too late." Grissom muttered.

"Gil, it's going to be okay." Sara said comfortingly. "We'll make it through this."

"Who did this?" Grissom wondered out loud.

Sara had no answer for him.

* * *

"Please let us work the case." Nick said suddenly to Ecklie in the break room.

Grissom had left. He needed time alone and no one stopped him from leaving. "Nick…" Ecklie protested weakly.

Catherine perked up. She wanted to work this case as well…they all did. "We wouldn't have to be the only people processing. You could have someone watch us." Greg suggested.

"But you have a conflict of interest…" Ecklie continued to protest.

"Please," Catherine added.

Three CSI's were begging him to solve the case of their murdered friend. Ecklie was a strictly by the book man and this was clearly against the rules. But if he continued to deny them, they would work around him…they always did. In a way, Ecklie admired them because if one of them was in trouble, they all worked together to save that person. He hadn't seen many teams like that. "Alright," Ecklie said shortly.

While they intended to protest forever, they hadn't really expected Ecklie to allow them to work the case. Yet, he did. _Does Ecklie really have a heart after all?_ Greg wondered. It was like all logic Ecklie had died along with Warrick. "Listen to me," Ecklie said a low voice. "Warrick was murdered…after freely discussing his thoughts on there being a mole in the department for Gedda. I'm starting to believe him."

Nick, Catherine and Greg exchanged looks. Working this case was going to be extremely dangerous. "You need to be careful." Ecklie warned. "Don't trust anyone."

"Can we trust you?" Greg asked curiously.

Ecklie shrugged. "Quite frankly, I'm not sure who you can trust. But I trust your team." Ecklie said calmly.

It was so strange. Warrick was dead and Ecklie was being…humane to them? Greg was beginning to think that someone spiked his drink at the diner. "Thank you." Catherine said sincerely.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Walking into Grissom's office, Nick, Greg and Catherine expected to find him alone. But he was not alone. Sara Sidle was sitting next to him, deep in conversation. They stood at the door for a while. "Sara?" Greg finally asked.

Sara looked up and gave them a weary smile. "Hey," Sara said lightly.

"When…?" Nick asked, fading into silence.

"About ten minutes ago," Sara said shortly. "I heard and I came as soon as I could."

On any other occasion, the reunion would have been sweet, but this reunion was bittersweet. Warrick was gone, but Sara came back. "Ecklie gave us the case." Catherine said, getting down to business.

Grissom tilted his head. "Really?" Grissom asked.

"What did you do to him while I was gone?" Sara questioned.

Nick shrugged. "Nothing," Nick said. "Maybe he finally grew a conscience."

It took Grissom a moment to realize that they were all waiting for him to tell them what to do. "If you're up to it, we should start processing now." Grissom said softly.

"Absolutely," Catherine said firmly.

No one disputed her. "Okay, Nick, Greg, process the car." Grissom said. "Catherine, go through his personal affects. I'll be speaking with Brass."

They began to move towards the door. "Treat this like any other case." Grissom warned. "Any mistake could cost us."

* * *

Greg and Nick said nothing to each other. Normally, when processing a car, the CSI's would chat about the sports games or something else, but today the room was filled with silence. Nick had pulled a few prints from the outside of the passenger side. Greg found prints of the driver's door, but he suspected they were Warrick's.

Once the exterior was fully processed, it was time to process the interior. Both Greg and Nick stood, looking at the driver's side. There was blood everywhere…Warrick's blood. "Do you want me to?" Greg asked gently.

Nick heard Greg offer to process the driver's side, but Nick shook his head. That was where his friend spent the last few moments of his life. Nick had to process it…for Warrick. "No," Nick said in a choked voice. "Let me."

Respecting his wishes, Greg moved to the passenger side and began to process the interior. He found a hair that was trapped in the window rut. Greg knew that the killer would have to reach across the rut to…to shoot. This hair belonged to the killer, Greg was sure of it.

Nick had seen many pools of blood, but this one was different. It belonged to his best friend. At that realization, Nick wanted to break down and cry…something he had not done since he was kidnapped. But knowing he had to be strong for Warrick, Nick took a deep breathe and pulled out a camera. He photographed as if it were any other crime scene.

* * *

Catherine pulled Warrick's clothing out of several evidence bags. She placed the clothes on the light table. As she did so, Catherine suddenly had a thought. It was not something she thought of until she saw the clothes. _Where is his body?_ Catherine thought. Then she remembered. It would be in the morgue.

She wanted to cry, but she had no tears left. She felt exhausted. "Are those his clothes?" A female voice asked from behind her.

Turning, Catherine saw it was Sara. "Yes," Catherine said shortly.

"There's so much blood." Sara muttered. "You know, Warrick didn't really like me when I first came here."

Catherine nodded. "Well, you _were_ investigating him and his motives as to why he wasn't there when Holly Gribbs died." Catherine said, a little defensive of her deceased friend.

"I know and I don't blame him. I would hate me too if I was trying to drag my name through the mud." Sara said, still not taking her eyes off of the clothes. "But even after all that, I saw he was a good man and I liked working with him. Do you think he knew that?"

It broke Catherine's heart to see Sara like this after so long apart. "Yeah, he knew." Catherine said patting her shoulder.

Both women looked at each other before embracing each other tightly. "I'm going to miss him." Catherine admitted.

Sara had left Las Vegas before and she did miss Warrick. But he was only a phone call away along with the rest of the team. Now, she would never be able to call him. Yes, she would leave again, but the others she could still call if she missed them too much. "Me too," Sara said softly.

* * *

"The first person on scene is always the first suspect." Grissom said as he entered Brass's office.

Grissom's voice caused Brass to look up from a file. He was a little surprised at Grissom's arrival and he was even more surprised at his comment. "What?" Brass asked, as if he had not heard properly.

Sitting in front of Brass's desk, Grissom looked him directly in the eye. "I was the first person on the scene." Grissom said calmly.

Seeing where this was leading, Brass nodded. He closed the file he had been looking at. "Okay." Brass said shortly. "Did you kill Warrick Brown?"

"No," Grissom answered.

Brass stood up. "Alright then," Brass said. "Now that that's clear, we can move on."

It would be unfair to say that Grissom was a little caught off guard by Brass's shortness. He wanted Brass to be thorough with this case. "Jim, you just can't…" Grissom protested.

"Oh yes I can!" Brass growled. "I know you didn't kill Warrick and if I went through procedure, we would be wasting precious time."

"But a judge…" Grissom said, always siding with the law and with logic.

"Screw the judge! Screw the district attorney! We need to act quickly." Brass said swiftly.

"And rationally," Grissom reminded him.

Brass gave him a wide, toothy smile. "And rationally," Brass agreed.

* * *

Wendy Simms was in the DNA lab as she usually was. Day after day, CSI's would constantly be requesting her to "put a rush on it" for a biological sample. Yet today, no one brought her any evidence. It was as if all crimes had stopped for a moment in time.

Nick and Greg walked into her DNA lab that day. They looked more solemn than ever before. "What happened?" Wendy asked quickly.

Greg, whom had been a former 'lab rat', knew how swiftly word spread. He was surprised that Wendy didn't know that Warrick was dead. _How could she not know?_ Greg wondered. Nick didn't seem to be able to say the words, so Greg cleared his throat. "Warrick is dead." Greg said softly.

Looking wildly at them, Wendy didn't want to believe them. A CSI dead? She knew the job was dangerous, but it hit close to home… "What?" Wendy questioned. "Why didn't I hear anything?"

Not answering her, Nick placed several evidence bags on her desk. "These are some hair and blood found in Warrick's car." Nick said tonelessly.

"We need a rush on them." Greg said quietly. "If you need help, I can help you."

Shaking her head, Wendy sighed. "No, I don't have anything to do." Wendy said. "I'll get the results to you ASAP."

Grabbing her arm gently, Nick made sure Wendy was looking him in the eyes. "Wendy, there's a mole in the department. We don't know who it is. When you get results, you come to me, Greg, Grissom or Catherine, okay? We don't know who to trust. Don't leave the file lying around anywhere." Nick said in a serious tone.

Realizing how the depth of this case, Wendy nodded. "Of course," Wendy said.

* * *

The next stop on Nick and Greg's adventure through the lab was to the fingerprint lab. There, Mandy Webster was sitting at a desk. She, unlike Wendy, had heard the news. When she saw them approaching, she instantly knew what case they were working on. "I'm sorry!" Mandy blurted as soon as they were in ear reach.

Greg wordlessly handed her a fingerprint card. "These were pulled from Warrick's car." Greg stated.

Nick gave Mandy the same warning he had given Wendy. At one time, someone may have called Nick paranoid. But he knew that this was a dangerous game they were playing…one that got Warrick killed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Somehow, everyone gathered into Grissom's office. It wasn't as if they planned it, but they somehow all found themselves in his office. Perhaps their need to be together was extremely great at that point… "We gathered some evidence in the car." Greg said, speaking first. "A few hairs and blood…"

"I went through Warrick's personal affects and I didn't find anything that could help us. But I did follow up on the gun that was tossed in the passenger seat." Catherine stated.

Grissom had to admit that Catherine was his savoir sometimes. She remembered things that he often forgot…whether he was preoccupied with something else or whether it was because he was still in shock. He had forgotten about the gun, but Catherine hadn't. "Bobby Dawson is working on it, but he doesn't have anything yet." Catherine reported.

"Good work," Grissom said, as if it was automatic.

Catherine cleared her throat. "I realize that I'm breaking protocol here and that I could loose my job for this, but Nicky, there's something that I think Warrick intended you to have." Catherine muttered.

From her pocket, she withdrew a plastic Ziploc. It was a small bag, but it held a coin and a piece of paper. On the paper was written: _Unlucky Coin_ and the date Nick had been kidnapped by Walter Gordon. She handed the bag to Nick. "He carried it with him everywhere." Catherine said shortly.

Nick held it in his hands. He let a few tears slip. "Damn it!" Nick said loudly. "The coin's unlucky. He shouldn't have been carrying it."

Grissom, Sara and Greg were clearly confused. It was just a coin. "Warrick and I flipped a coin to pick our assignment. I got the simple 'trash run'. So, I gave the coin back to Warrick, telling him it was unlucky. And then I got kidnapped and buried alive." Nick said bitterly. "Warrick had the coin with him and now he's dead."

It was irrational. Everyone in that room knew it. A coin could not be held responsible for all the bad luck, but no one had the heart to talk to Nick when he was in such an upset mood. "Warrick was watching you the entire time." Catherine said gently. "When you shot out the light, Warrick thought you killed yourself. He was screaming at you to stop."

Closing his eyes, Nick sighed. "He was there for me and now I'm gonna be there for him." Nick promised in such a quiet voice, only Catherine heard him.

* * *

Considering that no one got any sleep for about a day, Grissom forcefully sent his team home. They were exhausted and they didn't want to admit it. Since Sara didn't have anywhere to go, Grissom invited her to stay with him. Part of it was because he missed her, but part of it was because he didn't want to be alone tonight. He needed someone to talk to…to tell him everything was okay. And that it wasn't his fault Warrick died.

* * *

The first thing Catherine did when she got home was to search for Lindsey. She found Lindsey peacefully sleeping in her bed. Catherine fought the urge to hug her child in bed…she knew that would wake Lindsey. As a kid, Lindsey slept like a rock, but now that she was older, she seemed to wake easily. So Catherine just watched from the doorway. She saw Lindsey's chest rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall…and then she thought of how Warrick's chest would never do that again…

* * *

Nick wasn't quite sure how to react to loosing Warrick. He and Warrick were close friends. To loose Warrick was a heart-wrenching pain that Nick had felt only a few times in his life. Nick would have given anything to walk out of the diner with Warrick. If they had left together…if Warrick had gotten a drink with him…

But the 'if's' didn't amount to anything because at the end of all of it, Warrick was still dead. Nick knew this…and as he crawled into bed, he cried into his pillow for the dear friend he had lost.

* * *

Their shifted started once again. In Grissom's office, Nick, Greg, Catherine, Sara and Grissom were all staring at one another. "Sara will be here during the investigation, but she will only be looking. No touching." Grissom announced.

"Okay," Catherine said, as the two boys merely nodded.

Clearing his throat, Grissom wasn't sure how to word his next announcement. It wasn't going to be pleasant. "Dr. Robbins has completed his autopsy." Grissom said slowly. "He would like us to come down."

They would be seeing Warrick's body. Grissom knew that Robbins had two reasons for them to see it. One, so they could collect necessary evidence to find the guy who killed Warrick. Two, so they could see that Warrick was really dead. Acceptance would allow them to move on…

No one said anything on the way down to the morgue. Personally, Catherine thought the morgue felt colder than usual. Dr. Robbins was standing next to a sheet…a sheet that covered a body. Everyone knew who it was. "I'm sorry." Robbins muttered to them.

Rolling the sheet down to Warrick's lower chest, it was evident that Robbins took extra care with him. Warrick was carefully cleaned and if it weren't for the two bullet holes in him, he would have appeared to have been sleeping. "The first bullet entered his neck." Robbins said softly, pointing to the wound. "The second to his chest. I was able to remove both bullets and I'm guessing they'll match the gun you pulled from the scene."

It was as if they were all incapable of speech. Still, no one said anything. They just looked at their friend, co-worker and fellow justice enforcer. "W…was he in pain?" Catherine said, finally finding the ability to speak.

Cocking his head, Robbins sighed. He wanted to say no, but he couldn't say that beyond a reasonable doubt. He considering lying to them, but that wouldn't do any good. "The first shot may have severed the nerves to the brain which control pain, but I can't say for sure." Robbins said quietly. "If he was in pain, it didn't last long."

Grissom wasn't sure about that. As he clutched Warrick, he felt as if it took Warrick centuries to die. "If emergency services had gotten to him sooner, would he have made it?" Nick asked.

These were difficult questions and Robbins was prepared for Catherine's question, but not for Nick's. "Maybe…maybe not." Robbins said calmly. "There's just no way to tell."

Greg seemed to be thinking of something else. "What's going to happen to his body?" Greg asked curiously.

"He'll be buried at Rose Cemetery next to his grandmother." Robbins said, his voice shaking a bit.

"Thank you," Sara mumbled.

Robbins gave a quick nod. "If I ever have to do an autopsy on another CSI, on one of you, I will be turning in my request for retirement." Robbins said in a wavering voice as covered Warrick back up with the sheet.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disappointment came in many forms. Learning that the gun had no fingerprints on it was one form. Knowing that it was the gun that killed your friend and to find out that it was not registered was another form.

But miracles come in small packages. Nick and Greg were surrounded with lab techs, offering information. They all were shocked by their results and ran the tests five different times. Then, they were afraid for their own lives. "I seriously ran them seven times…" Mandy said, clearly unnerved.

"I ran it five times!" Wendy exclaimed.

Nick and Greg went to find the others. These results held the answers to everything. They knew who killed Warrick.

* * *

"Warrick was right about Gedda and he was right about the department." Nick announced.

Grissom, Sara and Catherine looked up at him. Then, they searched Greg's face. "What?" Sara asked.

"We know who killed Warrick." Greg said shortly.

Catherine looked hopeful. Her face lit up. "Who?" She asked eagerly.

"Undersheriff Jeffrey McKeen," Nick said firmly.

No one breathed for the longest time. Grissom looked skeptical while Sara appeared shocked. But Catherine's face was the hardest to look at. Moments ago she seemed so happy. Now she looked fallen. "Oh," Sara said.

"What evidence do you have?" Grissom questioned.

Any rookie CSI would have probably frozen up at this point, but Nick and Greg had worked with Grissom long enough to know that Grissom only wanted one thing: solid evidence. So, they came prepared. Nick handed Grissom two files. "There were fingerprints on the passenger side of Warrick's car on the outside." Nick said. "They belong to McKeen."

Grissom didn't look convinced. "It just proves that McKeen touched Warrick's car." Grissom argued calmly.

Nick and Greg didn't despair yet. "There was a hair found in the passenger side door, as if someone reached inside." Greg explained. "The DNA belongs to McKeen."

"McKeen reached across to shake Warrick's hand." Grissom offered.

"Bull and you know it." Nick said cruelly.

Grissom shrugged. "It's what the defense will say." Grissom said. "We need evidence to put the gun in the hand of the murderer."

"You mean in McKeen's hand." Nick said firmly.

There were times that Grissom was severely worried about Nick. Like when he was buried alive, when he had a stalker…and now. "Nick, don't take justice into your own hands." Grissom warned. "We don't know McKeen's guilty yet."

"Innocent until proven guilty." Sara reminded them softly.

Nick shook his head. "I know that he killed Warrick!" Nick said angrily.

"Nicky…" Catherine pleaded. "Please, just don't do anything stupid."

"Like what?" Nick asked. "Kill McKeen? No, I'm not going to lower myself to that scum's level. I'm gonna prove he did. There will be so much evidence we'll bury him…for Warrick."

And with that Nick stormed out of Grissom's office. Grissom felt pride swell in his chest once again for Nick. He smiled at the thought of his CSI's. He had the best of the best. "We'll help Nick." Greg said. "We'll get McKeen."

Grissom nodded. "I know." Grissom said.

* * *

Time passed. Relentlessly, they worked on Warrick's case. But leads became cold. Evidence led nowhere. Slowly, Conrad Ecklie began to pull Catherine, Nick, Greg or Grissom to work on other cases. Ecklie knew that they would never admit it, but it seemed like the case would never be solved. "No judge would buy this." Ecklie said, as he listened to Nick explain the case for the seventh time.

"Look," Nick began in a pleading voice.

The touch of Catherine's hand on his shoulder was what stopped Nick. "I think what you've done is admirable." Ecklie said in a slow, steady voice. "Warrick was a damn good CSI and I don't think that even he could have done as well as you have. But the fact is, there just isn't enough evidence. It's time to move on Nick."

Nick would never admit it, but in his heart he was beginning to agree with Ecklie. Sara, whom had acted as moral support for a month, had to leave once again. She did have a job, a life… Grissom stopped listening to Nick's theories. He heard them, of course, but he never _listened_. Nick talked and talked, but Grissom never comprehended. Nick personally thought it would be best if Grissom just told him to shut up then to pretend to listen. But Catherine was worse. She listened to Nick and she nodded. She gave her _full_ support and she _fully_ encouraged him…even when it was obvious she didn't agree with him. Greg, the youngest and most eager to please Nick, did anything Nick asked him to do. When whatever Nick asked him to do didn't pan out, Greg became disappointed and tried not to show it.

The whole team was a mess. They had never been as divided as they were now. It was as if they were different people trying to live an old life. "I can't do that." Nick told Ecklie. "Not until the guy who killed Warrick is behind bars."

"Nick, I understand that it's hard for you to let go, but it's even harder for me and your colleagues to watch go down this path of self-destruction…" Ecklie began gently.

"Self-destruction?" Nick asked angrily. "I'm sorry but I'm trying to help my dead friend. If that's self-destruction, I bet Warrick was 'self-destructing' when he was trying to find me when I was kidnapped!"

Nick stormed out of Ecklie's office. Catherine gave Ecklie a harsh look. "You didn't have to say it that way." Catherine muttered before rushing after Nick.

He was in the hall, as if he was waiting for her. His head was bowed and tears flowed freely down his face. "Cath, we failed him." Nick choked. "We failed Warrick."

Catherine hugged him. "No, we didn't fail him." Catherine said as she stroked Nick like a child. "Warrick knew we did everything we could for him. I'm sure he's more than pleased with the job you've done."

Nick said nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nick said he would never resort to this measure. But he felt he had to. There was no other way. He grabbed his gun and made sure it was fully loaded. He looked at the badge sitting on the counter. It shined in the light, begging him to take it. It was screaming: take the responsibility! But Nick left it be. Tonight, he was not a CSI working for the police department. Tonight, he was Warrick's friend.

The alley was dark and to Nick, it felt icy cold. This is where Warrick died…and this would be where Warrick would be avenged. "Stokes," A silky voice said from behind him.

Nick didn't need to turn to know who the voice belonged to. It was Undersheriff McKeen. "McKeen," Nick said as he slowly turned around. "I didn't think you would show up."

His face was dimly lit, but Nick could see the smug expression it held. Nick couldn't wait to wipe that expression off of his face. "Why wouldn't I?" McKeen asked calmly. "You said you had news of Warrick's murder. I was deeply sorrowed by Warrick's death."

"Really?" Nick asked sarcastically. "Huh, 'cause I thought you didn't give a damn about his life."

McKeen chose to ignore Nick's comments. "It's odd that you ask me to meet you here. Isn't this where Warrick died?" McKeen asked, as if he had never seen the place before.

"Yeah, it is." Nick said slowly…there was no need to rush. He had all the time in the world.

Walking closer to Nick, McKeen sighed. "Do you have any new evidence?" McKeen asked in a hopeful voice. "Or maybe a suspect?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I know how killed Warrick." Nick said calmly.

"Oh?" McKeen asked in a light tone. "Who?"

There was a sense of peace that washed over Nick. He felt completely calm…perhaps Warrick was with him. "You," Nick said in a soft voice.

For a moment, McKeen's grin faded, but only for a moment. He chuckled. "Me? Why would I want to kill Warrick?" McKeen questioned.

"Warrick knew there was a mole in the department working for Gedda." Nick said. "You were the mole."

None of this fazed McKeen. "Nick, you're grieving over the loss of your friend." McKeen said. "I'm sure you're very traumatized."

Now it was Nick's turn to grin widely. "Traumatized? Am I too traumatized to know that the fingerprints on Warrick's car were yours? Or the hairs?" Nick questioned. "All the evidence leads right to you."

"Does it?" McKeen asked thoughtfully. "Hmm…why would I want to work for Gedda and why would I kill Warrick?"

Sighing, Nick shrugged. "I don't know." Nick admitted. "But I think you killed Warrick because you knew he would put the pieces together. Warrick was too smart…he would figure it out. And he wouldn't give up until he did figure it out."

"Well, I guess if that's your reason, then I suppose I would be killing you too." McKeen said in an amused tone.

"He died right here!" Nick yelled, forcing his emotions out at last. "He was a good CSI!"

McKeen nodded in agreement. "I know he was!" McKeen said, shouting back at Nick. "That's why I killed him! I didn't want to, but he said he wouldn't stop until he caught the mole! Naturally, I had to do something. The last thing he heard before he was shot was me telling him he was a good CSI."

Nick couldn't believe it. McKeen confessed…and it was almost effortless. Perhaps the guilt was too much for him… "But Warrick was also very stupid…" McKeen said, grabbing a hold of his emotions once more. "He trusted me. Just like you trust me here in the dark alley, alone…"

The gun that McKeen pulled out shined in the small amount of light there was. Nick was expecting this and he too pulled out his gun. They were pointing the guns at one another. "Why did you do it?" Nick asked. "Couldn't you have persuaded him to stop? Pulled him off the case?"

"I couldn't do that! He was too stubborn, like you! You both wouldn't stop until the case was resolved." McKeen said. "But if you miss Warrick, you'll be comforted to know that you will be joining him shortly. You were a good CSI Nick."

Before McKeen could even pull the trigger, sirens and flashing lights filled the alley. A cold metal was pressed against his head from behind. "I would put that down." Brass's voice recommended.

McKeen, not taking his eyes off of Nick, slowly placed the gun on the ground. Nick kept his gun trained on McKeen until Brass cuffed him. Then Nick lifted up his shirt to show that he was wired. "Warrick trusted you because you were supposed to be a good person." Nick said sadly. "He wasn't stupid and nor was I. I came here tonight for revenge, but not the kind that you were thinking of. Warrick and I both knew that the only way to truly get revenge is to find the evidence and to put that person in jail."

"Go to hell!" McKeen shouted angrily. "You'll be rotting next to Warrick!"

Nick smiled. "At least I'll be warm and with a good friend," Nick replied.

Brass forcefully shoved McKeen into a police car. Nick looked up and saw Catherine, Grissom, Greg and even Sara, who once again came to Las Vegas to see Warrick's killer. They looked so proud of him, yet so sad at the same time.

Nick knew that there was no physical evidence to trap McKeen with. The only way to get justice was to get a confession…which everyone knew that McKeen wouldn't do. So Nick suggested trickery… After about a month of planning, Brass decided that it was time. Grissom, Catherine, Greg and Brass had coached Nick on how to act and what to do. They also made sure that there were snipers on the surrounding roofs and back-up was only a heartbeat away. Nick set up a meeting and then…the rest was history. "Nicky!" Catherine cried as she hugged him. "Thank God you're okay!"

She released him a few seconds later. "Did you think about pulling the trigger?" Greg whispered.

Nick shook his head. "No. If I killed him, I would be the same as him." Nick replied. "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."

"Gandhi," Grissom said immediately.

"What happens now?" Sara questioned.

Grissom sighed. "Well, McKeen will get a lawyer and a trial with a jury of his peers." Grissom answered.

"And if the judge is on McKeen's payroll?" Greg asked.

The CSI's were lucky when Brass requested a wiring warrant. The judge that signed it wasn't a friend of McKeen. "Well, after hearing this tape, I doubt McKeen will have many judges willing to risk their reputations for an admitted murderer." Grissom said.

Silence passed as the CSI's and Sara looked towards the spot where Warrick took his last breaths. It was the same place where his killer took his last breaths of freedom. Irony was particularly heavy that night…

* * *

Greg, Nick, Grissom and Catherine looked at Warrick's grave. His headstone was not grand, but it was enough to mark that man that lay beneath it. It bore his name, the dates of his birth and death and a small inscription in Latin which translated as:

_Forever the Seeker of Justice and Truth_

As Warrick had no next of kin, the CSI's agreed on this inscription. It rightfully fitted Warrick. The jury announced it's decision a hour ago. McKeen was found guilty of all charges. He would spend the rest of his life in jail, thinking of the one CSI he killed to keep his secret…but it was still revealed by another faithful CSI.

Sara had wanted to visit Warrick's headstone before she left, but unfortunately, she had to leave immediately after the verdict was read. So, gathered at the gravesite was what remained of the CSI team. The team didn't quite seem the same with the two CSI's absent. "Warrick, we got him." Nick muttered.

"Actually, _we_ is an overstatement. It was really Nicky." Catherine admitted. "He simply wouldn't stop until McKeen was caught."

When Catherine said 'McKeen', Grissom gasped. He was shocked by it. "Oh Warrick!" Grissom cried out in despair. "I'm sorry!"

Concerned, Catherine turned to him. "What?" Catherine asked gently. "What's wrong?"

"You tried to tell me!" Grissom said, still speaking to Warrick. "As you were dying, you said something. I didn't understand you then, but I know now… You were saying 'McKeen'."

"You were a CSI until the end." Greg said with an approving nod.

Looking at the grave one last time, they muttered their goodbyes. "Let's go home." Catherine said wearily, taking one last look at the grave.

Together, the CSI team turned away from Warrick's grave. They were a team and although two members would never be among them again, they were united. Warrick and Sara would always hold a special place within their hearts. Tomorrow night and the night after that and the night after that, for eternity, they would fulfill their duties as discoverers of truth and justice.

They were the nightshift crime scene investigators of the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

**The End **

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. _

A/N- I hoped you liked 'In Warrick's Memory'. If you enjoyed this story, check out my other stories!

Kylie Anderson


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